MELL
Mapping and Enhancing Language Learning in Washington State
5 Fall, 2008
depts.washington.edu/mellwa
206.543.0563
[email protected]
MELL Policy Brief #
Taking a Closer Look
at High School
German Programs
“We have a
dynamic teacher.
Students want to
be in his classes.”
Background
In 2007 the Mapping and Enhancing Language Learning
(MELL) project surveyed schools online and by phone on
whether or not they offered world languages and if so, which
languages they offered. In this survey, 27 percent said they offered German, which was significantly less than the 40 percent
that said they offered German in our original 2004 World Languages Survey. This was the most obvious drop in percentage
in any particular world language program when 2007 and 2004
survey results were compared. We decided to investigate this
drop in language offerings further.
therefore could not definitively tell us the school’s plans for
the future. So the data in this report are most reflective of the
current state of German language programs in the schools, not
of future plans.
1. Will your school offer German next year?
No 7%
During the spring of 2008, the MELL project contacted by email
or phone 91 high schools that reported offering German on
the MELL Survey or that were listed by the Washington Association for Teachers of German. We heard from counselors,
teachers, administrators, and other office staff, and received a
total of 75 responses.
Yes 93%
To see if there was a noticeable trend in offerings of German
classes, we asked the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Did the school plan to offer German in the following
year?
Was student interest in German-language classes high
or low?
Did the school plan to replace the teacher, if their
current teacher left or retired?
What made a program successful or unsuccessful?
We also tried to ascertain, based on anecdotal reports we had
heard of schools dropping German for other new languages,
such as Chinese, if the decreased interest in German saw a
parallel increase of any kind in Chinese-language programs
in the school. Well over 90% of schools indicated no or did
not specify, so we did not see a clear trend in that direction,
although some of them did indicate an increase in interest in
Japanese.
It is important to note that often the person who responded
to our questions was not part of the school administration and
2. Are the classes full?
Yes 72%
No 15%
Blank or Unknown 13%
Of the schools interviewed, 93 percent said they would continue to offer German, 7 percent said they would not, while
72 percent said classes were full and 15 percent said they
were not. Of those that indicated they would not be offering
German next year, one school indicated that the program was
dropped when the teacher retired. Another indicated that the
school had a fairly small enrollment (about 600 students in
grades 9-12) and they already offered Japanese, French, Spanish, and American Sign Language; the enrollment in German
was not high enough to justify keeping the program.
Regarding teacher retirement, when asked if the school would
hire a new teacher for German when the current teacher retired
or left, 37 percent said yes, 4 percent said no, and the majority,
57 percent, said they did not know or it was uncertain.
3. If the current teacher retires or leaves,
will your school hire a new teacher for German?
“The teachers
make it
successful.”
The Heart of a Successful Program
Almost 60 percent of those that responded explicitly cited that
a good teacher and the quality of instruction were at the heart
of what made their program successful.
Comments included:
“The passion and commitment of the instructor.”
“The present program is well-organized, rigorous, and engaging. The class is taught in such a manner as to allow for differentiated instruction and different learning styles of the students.
[The instructor] is a well-trained and experienced teacher.”
“The determination of the teacher.”
Yes 37%
Blank or
Unknown
57%
No 4%
“After 20 years teaching
German, I really don’t
know exactly what makes a
program successful in terms
of growth and numbers.
It may have to do with the
teacher promoting the
course and making it a place
where kids want to be.”
Other factors that respondents felt played a role in making a
program successful included: exchanges with Germany such as
GAPP (German American Partnership Program), engagement
with outside German-related activities and groups, and technology that enhanced learning. Reasons for struggling German
programs included schools unable to find qualified teachers,
pressure on students to take other classes, too many languages
offered in a small school, and budget cuts.
Implications for Future Study
Clearly our survey results just begin to explore the landscape
of world languages being offered in our high schools. From
our data, we might conclude that German language offerings
are still on a decline in our state, but because we did not talk
directly to school administrators we can’t be sure of the actual
decline we might expect in the future. With the decline that we
do see, we need to begin asking further questions: What is the
reason for this decline? Is German seen as less important than
other languages to students and administrators? Are administrators the ones making the decisions and are the decisions
being made strategically? Are there enough German teachers available to teach? Are students learning German in other
settings, such as Online Learning or Running Start (where high
school students attend classes at the local community college)?
The Mapping and Enhancing Language Learning (MELL) project was initiated in 2006 by four National Resource Centers at the University of
Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, which received funding through the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI program to
launch a four-year project to collect data on world language learning and teaching in Washington K-12 schools. The Center for Global Studies,
Center for West European Studies (CWES), East Asia Center (EAC), and the Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies
(REECAS) are working with the UW Language Learning Center, Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Washington State Coalition for International Education, and Washington Association for Language Teaching (WAFLT) to establish an understanding of
world language teaching trends in Washington state. With funding from the Title VI program grants and a State Innovations grant from Longview
Foundation, the MELL project is creating a series of policy briefs based on the data collected through the MELL surveys of schools. For further
information, call the Language Learning Center at 206.543.0563 or email [email protected]. Web: depts.washington.edu/mellwa